Randi Rhodes: Fat Cats

Now that Congress has pretty much decided to stick it to the unemployed for the time being, it’s time to move on to whether or not to shower money on the rich. Or more accurately, to decide how much money to shower on the rich, and for how long. Negotiations are underway for extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. As the Wall Street Journal points out, all signs seem to indicate that the tax cuts for the rich will be extended “temporarily.” And yes, if they’re going to be honest about it, the legislation will actually have the word “temporarily” in quotes. Here’s what it boils down to: since there’s a lack of agreement on extending the tax cuts, we’ll extend the tax cuts. What? Why is it that—when we can’t reach an agreement—we agree to keep on doing what the Republicans want to do? Hello! If we just keep extending the Bush tax cuts every time we can’t reach an agreement, then the Republicans have absolutely no incentive to ever reach an agreement. Democrats want a one year extension of the tax cuts. Republicans want three years. That means they’ll probably compromise… and make it three years.

Tax cuts for the wealthy hurt the economy and explode the deficit. So I guess it only makes sense to keep on doing them for the next few years. Anything more would be stupid, right? This is like a morbidly obese person agreeing to keep on eating a cheesecake for breakfast every day, but only for the next two or three years. It’s not even a case of not being able to make the hard choices. Tax cuts for the rich are crazy. This is one of the EASY choices!

Meanwhile, the House is voting today on whether to extend the tax cuts for the middle-class while letting the cuts for the rich expire. That bill stands no chance in the Senate… which basically tells you right there that it’s the right thing to do. House Democrats want to stake out their position before compromising. In other words, Democrats want to stake out their position… before they abandon it.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says that a permanent extension of the tax cuts for the rich is where Obama draws a “line in the sand.” Exactly. The problem with lines drawn in sand is that they get washed away with the very next wave. Democrats are always drawing lines in the sand, while Republicans are drawing lines in cement.

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